Tossup

In this text, a wise man invents a new form of verse after watching two birds being shot while mating, which he teaches to the protagonist’s two sons. A character in this text who is cursed to sleep for six months at a time is woken up when a thousand elephants walk over him. (10[1])In this text, (10[1])a demon disguised as a golden deer is used to distract a princess of (10[1])Ayodhya (10[2])(“eye-OHD-yuh”). This text’s antagonist orders Hanuman’s tail to be lit on fire, which he uses to burn down his citadel in Lanka. (10[1])For 10 points, (10[2])Sita is kidnapped by the rakshasa (“RAHK-shuh-suh”) Ravana (“RAH-vuh-nuh”) in what Sanskrit epic by Valmiki, written before the Mahabharata? ■END■ (0[1])

ANSWER: Ramayana [or Rāmāyana; or Ramayanam] (The first line is about Valmiki teaching Lava and Kusha. The character in the second line is Kumbhakarna, a brother of Ravana.)
<Editors, Mythology>
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